4 Tips for Finding a Budget-Friendly Storage Unit!

There are a variety of factors that go into storage unit pricing. This might seem a bit surprising considering that in essence most storage units are offering the same thing: a small amount of space you can rent to keep your extra possessions. Sometimes for just a summer, sometimes for an unforeseen amount of time until you get settled into a new apartment or new home. When you’re looking for a good deal, it’s important to have a good idea of what the going rates are in any given area.

How much is a storage unit for a month? That’s a good question that is going to vary from place to place, but here are five tips to help you find an affordable storage unit no matter where you live!

Exact Location Makes A Difference!

The exact location of the storage units will make a major difference. “Anything close to a college is going to be expensive,” Barb May of Blue Lagoon Storage shares. Since there’s a large population of students, there’s going to be a high demand for storage whether during the summer months, or even in the fall when moving from a larger apartment into the dorms. You won’t find a great deal from storage units close to any college campuses.

Try to avoid storage units that are close to any place that might have a lot of turnover since the higher demand is going to mean higher prices. This is why you may find differences of $20, $30, or $50 or more a month from two facilities in the same town, even owned by the same company, but that are 10 miles away from one another. The exact location matters!

Know the Storage Unit Size You Need

This one can be a little bit challenging if you haven’t used a lot of storage units in the past. One of the keys to remember is the space is cubic. That means that there is generally a lot more space than people think. If you’re moving from a dorm room or a small one bedroom apartment, you don’t need a large storage space. While furniture can take up space quickly, remember you can still stack boxes up on a couch or table. Don’t rent too much space!

Do You Really Need an Indoor Facility?

One of the best-selling points you’ll find for many storage facilities is indoor climate controlled storage and for some people that is perfect – but do you really need that? Almost without exception indoor and climate controlled facilities will cost more than your conventional outdoor self-storage units.

If you have very valuable possessions or live in an extreme climate with high heat and humidity or extreme cold, then you may want to take a look at this option. Storing a lot of electronics outside if it gets below zero for days on end is just a bad idea. The same concept applies delicate linens, baseball cards, and other heat sensitive items might have issues with a high heat and high humidity climate. In these cases you want to be on the safe side.

On the other hand, if you just have some old clothes, unimportant papers, or cheap furniture, you shouldn’t waste the extra money on an indoor facility when outdoor storage will do just fine.

Do the Math on Distance!

To many people the idea of driving 15 miles to a storage unit might seem ridiculous, but what if storage there is $50 a month and everything in the city is $80 and higher? If you’re not going to drive out there a lot, it’s worth considering taking that extra drive. Even at its most expensive, you would have to do a lot of driving to burn $30 in gas a month. Look outside your immediate area – the most affordable options are often on the outskirts.

If you can find a “sleeper community” that wasn’t specifically built for that purpose, that’s often a prime place to find affordable storage at small town rates within easy driving distance of the big city.